


In Weakness

by clownerooni



Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst, Cussing, Family Issues, Hurt No Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Minor Violence, Past Abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-27
Updated: 2020-02-27
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:34:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22864888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clownerooni/pseuds/clownerooni
Summary: Tai calls Qrow up to have a talk with Raven.This is before team STRQ breaks up.Raven is pregnant with Yang and she's an emotional wreck.
Kudos: 10





	In Weakness

**Author's Note:**

> Uh I love Qrow

It was so tiring that, even now, Raven still had this idea in her mind that their tribe raised the two of them perfectly fine.  
As if they only had the best intentions and cared for them while they were growing up or something.  
The way they were disciplined, the way they were trained, the way they had to survive.  
It seemed like he had to go over this with her again and again and _again_ to try and prove that maybe it wasn't… super great to treat a child like that.  
That should be so obvious by now.

But it wasn't for whatever reason and Qrow has tried so desperately to convince Raven that she owed nothing to their tribe, that things were better now the way they were.  
She was lucky to be where she was, they had people who wanted them now. 

But most importantly, Qrow wanted her to realize that she was safe now, with no need to scavenge through villages, and no reason to mindlessly fight- or kill.  
With Tai and Summer, there was understanding and unconditional support.  
With Tai she had clearly found _something._

So there's now, Qrow falling head first back into the cycle of things.

The problem usually starts when either Raven or Tai pick a fight with the other.  
With both being stubborn and hot-headed, a lot could set them off, and this was a fact that was sorely known by everybody.

They would fire off back and forth until there was no trace of what had sparked the flame.  
Tai would patronize her, try to put her down. And Raven would hit, and dig up every insecurity and use it for her gain.

The violence was a pretty big issue that Summer, Qrow, and obviously Tai were dedicated to helping her maintain, with that level of emotional reaction. It was clear to them why she felt this way, but there was only so much forgiveness.

Qrow ended up being called one way or another, either Tai wanting him to come diffuse the situation or to come get her to stop attacking him.  
Sometimes he was yelling at him, and sometimes he was crying, unintelligible.  
Qrow dreaded that the most.

This whole problem they were facing had gotten quite a bit bigger since the pregnancy, and with that new development Qrow was a lot more pressing, and a lot more cautious in his private talks with her. 

She was deciding to go through with this and it scared him. He couldn't begin to comprehend what her intentions could possibly be.  
She had mentioned raising her child right, but what was her idea of right?  
She definitely avoided the question when she was asked.

No matter when he was called, he would waste no time bringing himself to Raven, as she stood before him now.  
With a wicked look, like she was going to rip him apart. 

Oh, he knew that look well.

Everytime he would come knocking he would be buzzing just under his skin, his palms would be clammy and his nails would be digging into them before he could think.

He always hesitated, and let the insistent yelling from inside go on for far too long before he finally had the guts to interrupt. 

No exchange of words as he was let inside, and none as they adjusted themselves to coexist in the well-sized kitchen. 

They were standing separately on opposite sides of the room, the island between them holding nothing but a vase of flowers that Tai probably got from the garden.  
Raven was glaring daggers at him, and that alone made his skin crawl.

Qrow managed to look into her eyes.  
"Raven." His voice crackled to life, nearly getting lost in space, it was so quiet.  
"You know what I'm going to say but-"  
"But _what,_ brother? If I know what you're going to say then why even say it." Raven bit back, her eyes flickering with a dangerous glint.  
She didn't even give him a moment to answer.

"I love that he always calls you up when he can't handle me anymore." She gave a humorless laugh, but it quickly shifted back into a curled frown.  
"I just can't stand how he talks about our tribe. He doesn't have a damn clue about anything yet he has the nerve to criticize _our_ upbringing." She crossed her arms tightly against her chest.

"All I ask for is respect for our people, who gave us everything we have today. They're the reason why we're strong." Her voice sounded ragged, probably from screaming at Tai prior. Qrow could tell she was elevating again already.

"All I ask for.. Is _respect._ And for that idiot to shut his filthy mouth!" Her tone lilted up, laced with the underlying mania.

Qrow shrunk a little, hunching his shoulders and lowering his head just a fraction. Ignoring the empty insults against his friend.

"I get it. I really do." He held her eyes still, with a look of empathy.  
They grew up together, of course he understood how it felt when Tai, Summer, and Ozpin anyone told him that what happened to them was bad. That they shouldn't have gone through any of it. 

"But honestly, Rae… I'm pretty sure we covered this. There's noth-" Qrow felt a sudden wave of dread washed over and he shook a little, searching for his words.  
"There's nothing to respect." And he said it weakly but assuredly.

That only stoked the fire.  
Her eyes flashed.  
"It's like how _I_ always say." She lifted her chin and looked at him under her nose. "You've forgotten your place."  
A sneer curled on her lip, and he saw it in her stance that she was ready to pounce. He knew for a fact she wouldn't hesitate either.

Qrow's eyes fell down to the round lump on her belly.  
It worried him to think that she would pick a physical fight when there was a much more pressing matter. Rarely, in fact, did it seem like she was really handling herself with care.

Qrow didn't know what he would do in her place, and he could never know how it feels but he imagined that no matter what, the baby came first.  
That would be the first priority right? 

"You…" Qrow groaned, already losing his voice to the overwhelming emotion that was closing in around him. Suffocating him.  
He balled up his fists and mustered a look that shot daggers.

"You seem to keep forgetting where you are _now_." His voice was only sharp, but something refused him to raise it.  
He looked around, lost for a moment, then moved forward and placed his hands curled on the edge of the counter. His eyebrows scrunched up in thought.  
Raven glowered.

"All the things you've done since we left…" his eyes were searching for the answer, squinting to see it.  
"You keep forgetting everyone here with you, they-" The words got caught in his throat because the idea was even hard for him.  
Most of the time he didn't believe it and in fact banished the idea.  
But Summer keeps making really compelling arguments. 

"They _care_ about you, they're here for you.." His voice wavered but the power to the phrase came through, "they don't want to hurt you." 

Raven was silent, and a long moment passed where she slowly lowered her head downward.  
"You were always weak." The words were poison to him, they sank in and burned. 

"It's shameful how far you've strayed." She quirked her mouth up in a crooked smile as her legs started moving, slowly working her way around the counter..  
Her eyes were locked on him. 

"Unlike you, I don't plan on forfeiting my dedication to our tribe." She rounded the corner and Qrow inwardly flinched, his body tensing. He pushed away from the bar and backed up a little, trying to keep his walls lowered. "And I think you would grow to regret it if you did." His hair stood on end, but he had heard enough of her insane babbling about how the tribe was a place where they were welcomed, that it was a place where they could actually thrive. 

"Maybe we should pay a visit." She teased.

 _"No_." He dropped his voice, and straightened his posture. He knew she would catch on to the fear that lingered in his tone.

"You have to start taking this seriously. Tai- he has done far more for you than _any_ of them. He's an ass sometimes but he loves you so goddamn much. Can't you see it?" His voice was starting to gain traction and she had long since stopped in front of him.  
Her expression was unwavering.

"Has the tribe ever done anything for you but treat you like an object? They pulled us apart, pitted us against each other. I hated it!" His eyes were starting to sting.  
"They were- they hurt us, Rae, don't you remember?" His voice was pleading, drowning in all the vulnerability he could give her.  
And how many times has he shown himself to her like this, he could count on one hand.

She stood a good couple of inches below him and yet he was beginning to feel so much smaller under her strong gaze.

"They raised us, you absolute fool! They're the whole reason why we are the way that we are. They raised us and we had a responsibility!" She waved her hand and leaned into his face, getting louder.

"We had a goal and we have strayed so far, brother. I'm thinking about it _constantly!_ " Her hands flew to her hair and then tugged at it in frustration.  
"It _plagues_ me." She widened her eyes and showed her teeth grinding together.  
"What are we doing, Qrow? What have we become?" She gestured to him and then gestured down at her swollen gut.  
Qrow gawked. 

"We've gone way too far, we have been blinded, you- **you** keep dragging me down. You have been holding me down since the day we were born."  
Qrow felt his stomach drop, and he instantly deflated.  
His skin paled.  
This was it, he heard the darkness in her voice, and saw the way her shoulders trembled. 

"You've _always_ been _my_ responsibility. Everything you failed to do pulled me down.  
With all your mistakes I would fall farther from the prideful eyes of the chief.  
I had to work hard enough for the both of us to survive in this tribe.  
And you, _Qrow,_ you were everything they said you were."  
She tilted her head, mouth twitching.  
"A fucking _burden_." 

It was like a sucker punch to the gut.

At that she exploded outward, throwing her arms out to her sides.  
Qrow lurched back against the counter on defense, and his eyes watered.  
"Everyone here is a damn burden- _this_ is a burden!" She brought attention back to her pregnancy.

"Don't say that." Qrow barked, lowering his guard reluctantly, hands raised in surrender. "You don't mean that, Raven." 

"Why do you think you can speak for me?" She shoved his shoulders back and his head bumped the cabinet behind him. 

"I am _telling_ you what I mean. You just don't like it." Her lips pursed, "I feel like I'm going crazy!"  
She whipped around, her hair nearly smacking him in the face.

"You know, Qrow. I can't believe that you think you have the right to say the things you do." She paused for a couple beats, her breathing picking up in pace and becoming ragged.  
"The tribe could have left you for dead." Her voice shook with furiosity, "maybe they should have." 

Qrow hunched inward, his throat closing up. Familiar, and uncomfortable sensations washed over him and drowned out his thoughts. He felt like he was floating.

He wondered why Tai thought Qrow could ever get through to her.  
Sure they bickered, and he had a talent for shutting her up when she was being a prick but this kind of personal territory.  
One one one.  
Raven at her most feral self.

It was shameful.

Raven lurched back toward him, with her body on defense and a hand hovering over the concealable weapon he knew was strapped to her side  
He grimaced, and roughly dropped his shoulders.  
He just wanted to talk… just for once. 

"But they didn't. They left me to take care of you. And yet you abandon them-"  
"Wh-who's 'them,' Raven? Our mother…" his voice trailed off, and he sputtered a bit.  
"Our father, they're dead- I mean- did anyone… Really take care of us?" He whined, his hand trailing up to his shoulder and grabbing the back of his neck.

"We were the same age, n' we were just kids, I mean- did you…"  
His mouth opened and closed a few times before he found his voice.  
"Really take care of _me?_ " 

He wanted to suck the words right back up, because the second he said it, Raven threw a heavy punch at his face.  
He heard the crack first and then felt the pain, and cried out, throwing his hands over his nose.  
"Of course I did!" She was screaming from her chest now, making him jump.  
He felt pathetic. 

"I was trying to keep you from making all those stupid mistakes, and from getting more of us killed."  
Looking at her in the face right now, she looked so much older.  
Exhaustion pulled at her eyes and wrinkles of distress lined the creases. She looks a lot like how he remembered their mother, and he wondered if he was starting to look like their father.  
His heart sank further. 

"I thought I was having a nice time getting to know you, brother. But I don't think I like what I see." She spat. 

"Raven…" his voice was just above a whisper, muffled up by his hand now that it cupped around his face.  
"Not once did you act like you genuinely cared for my well being." He shook fiercely with tension, "neither of us did. We didn't know how." A crack in his voice discouraged him. 

Qrow lowered his head and looked down at his shoes,  
"I'm sorry… that they stuck you with me for so long." He sounded defeated, felt defeated.  
"But I know that the way Tai cares, is different. The way Summer cares, is different. What Oz does to help us is different. It's better. It doesn't treat us like garbage, it doesn't… hurt us."  
Qrow clenched his teeth and screwed his eyes shut for a moment to block out the tears. And then he opened them and defiantly glared at his sister. 

"If you really think _this_ is what's terrible, then you're fucking crazy." He wavered, "and I don't know how to help you. But I think they might." 

" **THEY** have no **FUCKING** clue how to help me!" She pushed at his chest, and he roughly shoved her off.  
"You are nothing but a stupid, insolent child, Qrow-" 

"But you've- you look so happy here." He shouted back. A few tears finally slid down his cheeks and he ducked his head, right now he wouldn't know what to do if she chided him for this.

She went silent but her eyes were still weary of him. 

"If you really felt so distant from everyone I really don't think you would have gotten this far… and especially with Tai." Qrow's voice was left unsure, but with such tenderness.  
"If you're telling me you don't love him. That you regret having your child. Just- I just don't think I could believe it."  
Raven chewed on her lip and finally relaxed her face a little bit. 

Before any other words can come out of Qrow's mouth, she said in a deadpan cold voice,  
"Maybe think a little harder." She took a long stride toward the door by the kitchen. "I know I will be."  
Raven opened it and stared him down expectantly,  
"I don't think Tai would want to talk right now. Come back later." 

Qrow was at a loss for words.  
He didn't want to leave things off like this. It felt so unfinished. She treated his words with such disregard.  
"But- wait, no-" 

"Qrow." She snapped, and slammed her fist against the door with a sharp bang, he felt his heart in his throat. "Get. Out. Of my house." 

Qrow was frozen, at a complete loss for what to do. He could fight her more on this, risk her getting more mad and getting more violent, and putting herself in danger.  
He could get Tai and risk them getting even more angry with each other.  
He could leave and have no idea of whether they stopped fighting or if Raven was falling apart. 

All he knew was that for once, he really didn't want to leave.  
He wanted to mend this.  
The blood from his nose dripped onto his lip, and he took final note that not one single time did he see her with any remorse.

"Please." He begged one last time, closing the distance between them cautiously, reaching out to her, her hand. "Just talk to me, Raven, I'll understand."  
She smacked his hand away and looked at him with near disgust.  
" **Out**." 

His eyes widened, then he took his defeat with shame, taking uncertain and heavy steps out the door.  
Raven was quick to slam it behind him. 

And he stood there for a while, looking out into the dark woods, and floating a couple feet above his body. 

He thought about the look Raven got when Tai praised her.  
The way her eyes brightened, she was practically glowing. When he made a joke and she laughed so openly.  
The relaxed way she interacted with them most of the time.

He was picking it all apart now, trying to find all of the hints at doubt, maybe find somewhere that alluded to how miserable she might have been. 

Something reminiscent of fear rose in his gut over the fact that he didn't know her well enough to see any signs. 

He hissed in a shivering breath.  
And he heard Raven picking up her voice again, muffled now with the door and the walls between them. 

Qrow wasn't able to do a damn thing.

Raven did what she wanted, she put herself first, and defended everything like it was an attack on her.  
Always harsh, always sharp, confident.

But Qrow was weak, he never got what he wanted, he hardly believed in anything good, he was too quiet, he was a burden, he was a handful.  
He made mistakes, he held her back.

He seemed to move automatically, taking steps slowly on the trail through the woods. 

As he left, he could hear Tai pleading with Raven, his voice emotional. 

Qrow tried to ignore it.


End file.
